Secondary schools in Bedford

There are 14 secondary schools in Bedford, teaching 13,307 pupils. Of the 14 with a score, 4 do better than similar schools elsewhere in England and 0 do worse.

Best in England Primary schools in Bedford All schools in Bedford Places within

Pupils from low-income families24%average across these schools

Doing better than similar schools4 of 14scored schools in the top two bands

New-style Ofsted report cards4inspected since November 2025

Good or outstanding (old grades)3of those still on old grades

Full or nearly full4 of 14schools with 98% or more of places taken

Average class size23.6one-teacher classes, January census

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored

Getting a place in Bedford

From Bedford council's allocation figures for 2026 entry: 7 secondary schools, 3 of which filled on distance and 4 offered a place to everyone who applied. Every school's page has a postcode check.

Hardest to get into

The last place went to a child living this far away. The shorter the distance, the harder it is to get in.

Daubeney Academy 0.7 miles
Biddenham International School and Sports College 1.8 miles
Bedford Academy 2.3 miles

Places to spare

Every applicant was offered a place.

Kempston Academy 119 offers for 180 places
Wixams Academy 166 offers for 210 places
Mark Rutherford School 194 offers for 200 places
Wootton Academy 204 offers for 150 places

Source: Bedford council (allocation statistics). Councils we hold this for.

Secondary schools (14)

Ranked by score, highest first. The likely range shows how sure we can be. If two schools' ranges overlap, don't read it as one beating the other. Click a column heading to sort, or hover a row to find it on the map.

#	School	Pupils	Low income	Ofsted	Score	Likely range
1	Goldington AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16	958	23%	Report card 2026	92	88 to 94
2	Bedford Free SchoolFree school · ages 11-16	536	30%	Outstanding 2020	81	75 to 86
3	Sharnbrook AcademyAcademy · ages 11-18	1,684	15%	No overall grade 2025	71	63 to 78
4	Bedford AcademyAcademy · ages 11-18	1,480	40%	Good 2023	67	57 to 74
5	Castle Newnham SchoolAcademy · ages 4-16	624	10%	Report card 2026	64	45 to 78
6	Lincroft AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16	923	14%	No overall grade 2024	63	53 to 71
7	Daubeney AcademyAcademy · ages 11-16	576	29%	No overall grade 2025	62	50 to 72
8	St Thomas More Catholic SchoolAcademy · ages 11-18	893	22%	Good 2023	55	44 to 65
9	Marston Vale Middle SchoolAcademy · ages 9-13	563	22%	No overall grade 2024	47	27 to 67
10	Kempston AcademyAcademy · ages 11-18	773	30%	Not inspected	43	32 to 54
11	Wixams AcademyFree school · ages 11-19	903	23%	Report card 2026	40	31 to 50
12	Wootton AcademyAcademy · ages 11-19	822	19%	No overall grade 2024	40	31 to 50
13	Mark Rutherford SchoolAcademy · ages 11-18	1,150	30%	Report card 2025	39	30 to 49
14	Biddenham International School and Sports CollegeFoundation · ages 11-18	1,422	36%	Not inspected	39	30 to 49

Secondary schools by town in Bedford

Bedford14 schools

Secondary schools in nearby areas

Essex81 schools Hertfordshire82 schools Norfolk57 schools Suffolk46 schools Cambridgeshire35 schools Central Bedfordshire27 schools Peterborough16 schools Luton13 schools Southend-on-Sea12 schools Thurrock13 schools

About this list

Schools are listed by their School Chooser Score, highest first. Schools without a score (independent schools and those with too little published data) come after, in alphabetical order. The score compares each school with schools that have a similar mix of pupils, not just with each other, so a school with a lower score in a wealthier area may still have better exam results. How the score works.